Tag: USA Climbing

Firsts, Falls, and Fastest Runs: China Sweeps Gold at Guiyang Speed World Cup

Firsts, Falls, and Fastest Runs: China Sweeps Gold at Guiyang Speed World Cup

Lightning & Firsts: Guiyang Speed World Cup Delivers Golds, PBs, and Surprise Exits

China’s Guiyang stop of the IFSC Speed World Cup closed out the season with a volley of first-time winners, photo-finishes, and record-breaking heart. In front of a roaring home crowd, Chinese climbers stole both gold medals. But the story was far more than just home advantage—it was about razor-thin margins, mental grit, and unexpected exits.

Key Matches & Climbs

Women

  • Meng Shixue broke through in style. Her gold in Guiyang was her first ever World Cup medal, and it went to her in spectacular fashion on home soil with a time of 6.30 seconds, edging Jeong Jimin, who finished at 6.36 seconds.
  • Emma Hunt earned bronze after Zhou Yafei had a full fall in the bronze medal match—6.44 seconds was enough for Hunt to stand on the podium.
  • In the semifinals Meng had posted a personal best of 6.29 s over Hunt’s 6.35 s, setting up her gold-bout confidence. Jeong advanced past Zhou with 6.42 s vs 6.51 s.

Men

  • Chu Shouhong took gold with a personal best 4.79 seconds, beating Ryo Omasa (4.99) in the gold match.
  • Leander Carmanns grabbed bronze in a tight match, finishing at 4.98 seconds, just ahead of Yaroslav Tkach’s 5.11 in that bronze race.
  • Even earlier rounds were dramatic: Zach Hammer posted a sharp 4.959 s in the Round of 16. Tkach set a new European record in qualifications with 4.86 s. Ryo Omasa’s silver bumped him up to third in the overall speed standings.

Upsets, Slips & Storylines

  • Unexpected exits: Sam Watson (USA), the men’s world record holder, and Kiromal Katibin (Indonesia), the season leader, both went out in the Round of 16.
  • Slipping was epidemic. Nearly every round saw at least one athlete undone by a slip—especially in the early and middle sections. It made rhythm, reaction time, and composure more decisive than raw speed.
  • Firsts all around: For Meng, this was the breakthrough. Carmanns and Omasa solidified strong seasons by converting opportunities into podiums at just the right moment.

What It Means in the Big Picture

  • With his gold in Guiyang, Chu Shouhong clinches the men’s speed title in style.
  • On the women’s side, Emma Hunt secures the season title. Even though she wasn’t gold tonight, her consistency across events made her the overall champion.
  • Ryo Omasa’s silver lifts him into third in the overall season standings—he ends the year as part of a top-three that includes Katibin and Watson.

Weekend in Climbing: IFSC World Cup in Wujiang and NACS in Virginia

It was a busy weekend in the climbing world as the final IFSC World Cup and the final North American Cup Series events of 2023 both took place. Now, this doesn’t mean we have to wait until next year for some elite climbing, as there are many regional tournaments coming up with a bunch of Olympic spots up for grabs.

One athlete who has yet to secure an Olympic invite but is fully expected to qualify is the 16-year-old phenom from Japan, Sorato Anraku. Anraku dominated yet again as he reached hold 39, while second place, Shion Omata, reached jsut 30+. Anraku ended the season with 4300 points, running away with the season title with second place scoring just 2650 points. A third Japanese climber, Taisei Homma, finished third, giving Japan a podium lockout in China.

The season title was still up in the air coming into the weekend, with Janja Garnbret did not make the trip Jessica Pilz had a chance to secure the title if she were to finish on the podium. She placed fourth in the semi-finals, while Janja’s Slovenian teammate Mia Krampl surprisingly failed to get out of. Both Ai Mori and Natsuki Tanii managed to reach the top during the semi-finals, while Jain Kim matched Pilz with 34 holds.

The women’s final proved to be incredibly difficult, as the high score when Pilz stepped to the wall was just 22+ holds. She blew that number out of the water, reaching hold 31+. Kim wound up falling after hold 20+ giving Pilz the season title. Tanii made it to hold 26+ to secure third and Mori finished her season on top of the podium with 36+.

The speed races featured one shocking result, as world record holder Aleksandra Miroslaw fell in the quarterfinal and placed just fifth. Her national teammate Natalia Kalucka came up just short in the final as Lijuan Deng managed to win the final in front her home fans.

In the men’s speed final featured to Chinese climbers matched up against one another, with Peng Wu getting the win against Jingjie Huang.

Locally, the Elite National Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandra, Virginia hosted the final NACS event of the year. Micaela Patajo won the women’s speed competition, while Kaden Kang won the men’s competition. In lead, three men reached the top in the final, with Victor Baudrand reaching to top quickest and taking home victory. On the women’s side it was domination by Julia Duffy. While she only won the final by a single hold, she did finish first in qualification, the semi-finals, and the finals, sweeping the weekend.